Sermon and Worship Resources

Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

Showing 4051 to 4075 of 4936 results

4051. Great Reasons for Great Giving

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

Newspapers a few years ago carried a funny though sad story about a man in Florida who sued his pastor and his church for fraud. He claimed the pastor had said God would make him rich if he gave 10-percent of his income to the church. When it didn''t happen, the man sued. History repeated itself just recently. Another man, A. B. Cash of Burkesville, Kentucky, filed suit to retrieve offerings he put in the collection plate at a local church. According to Gannet News Service, Cash charged that the Living ...

4052. Forgiveness: Human and Divine

Matthew 6:12-15

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

Today we are concerned about the matter of forgiveness, God''s forgiveness of us and our forgiveness of others. According to the Bible, the two go together and can never really be separated. James Knight is a Professor of Psychiatry, an Associate Dean of the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. Lately, he has been speaking and writing about some of the horrendous and overwhelming social and emotional problems people face today. He speaks from his own experience when he says, "I confess that ...

4053. The Death of a Child

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

The death of a child. Nothing can prepare us for such a task. We can imagine in our minds what it must be like, but we cannot know until we have been there the emptiness and the pain. Joe Bayly wrote about the death of the young from firsthand experience. He and his wife lost three children: one at eighteen days, after surgery; another at five years, with leukemia; the third at eighteen years, after a sledding accident complicated by mild hemophilia. Joe said, "Of all deaths, that of a child is most ...

4054. The Autobiography of God

John 14:5-14

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

Halford Luccock once told of a woman in a certain American city, who called a local minister on the telephone a week or so before Christmas. She was in much agitation, and explained that she was in charge of the community Christmas tree lighting ceremony. What disturbed her was the limited selection of carols to be sung. She could not, she said, find just the right songs for such an occasion. “Most of the Christmas songs,” she said, “are so distressingly theological.” “Well, replied the minister, “ ...

4055. The Power of Remembrance (Part III)

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

All Saints'' Day Message A few years ago, Dr. Fred Craddock went back to the little town in Tennessee where he grew up. His brother was ill, so he wanted to visit him. Late one Sunday afternoon, Craddock decided to drop by the small Disciples Church where he had worshipped as a child. He went in, saw a friend, and they walked around together. Dr. Craddock noticed the church had installed some new stained glass windows in the Sanctuary. He examined them carefully; they were beautiful. But he did not ...

4056. Blank Walls or Filled Lives (Part V)

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

G. W. Target wrote a short story titled "The Window," which tells of two men, both seriously ill, who occupied the same small hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the only window in the room. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, and where they ...

4057. A Full House

Romans 5:12-21

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Tonight is Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is an important service in the Christian Liturgical calendar because it is a season that reminds us of our MORTALITY. Tonight, when many of you come forward for the imposition of ashes upon your hands or your forehead, one of the pastors will share the words, "From dust thou camest, and to dust thou shall return." These penetrating words help to set the tone for the beginning of the Lenten Season. The calendar of the world and the calendar of the church are often at ...

4058. Thanksgiving: Where Are You Looking for It?

Psalm 103:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

Sermon

Eric Ritz

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Psalm 103:2 Yes, it is that special time of year when the day of Thanksgiving is observed. Can''t you feel the great anticipation building here in the United States of America as we prepare for this day? NOT HARDLY! Well, most likely we think just what do I have to be thankful for? Granted, the Pilgrims had reasons to offer thanks to God, but not in this dog-eat-dog, selfish world. Thanksgiving? No, Preacher, please get real. As David Feddes ...

4059. What Gets Into People?

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

A man in Maryville, TN, called 911 sometime back to report someone was chasing him down the highway. As it turned out, it was the sheriff that was chasing him. It all started when a deputy noticed the man driving erratically and signaled for him to stop. The man pulled over at first, then spun his pickup truck around and fled down the highway. Soon three patrol cars were in pursuit. At that point the man dialed 911 and reported he was being chased. The dispatcher advised him to stop, but the man would not ...

4060. The Dark Didn't Catch Me!

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Remember how it was in grade school when your class went out on the playground during recess? Doug and Sam, the two big guys, started choosing up sides to play kickball. And the rest of us just sort of stood around and hoped one of them would pick us for their team. And how affirming, how exciting it was to hear your name called and know that you were wanted. And it's the same in this big lonesome world that doesn't seem to need us very much. It's easy to feel left out, unchosen. But the Good News of the ...

4061. King Forever!

John 6:56-69

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Norman Rockwell has a painting titled Lift Up Thine Eyes. Shown in his painting is the magnificent entrance to an urban cathedral. Vaulted high above its carved gothic doors are statues of the prophets, apostles, and martyrs. And right in the center is Jesus Christ, sitting on a throne at the right hand of God. On the sidewalk below the cathedral move the busy throngs of people amidst the noise and fumes of cars and taxis. The pastor of the church has just finished changing the public bulletin board. The ...

4062. The Source

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

One of the most precious and indispensable needs you and I have is to be able to have at least one person in the world who truly understands us. How often have we known folks who try to be such a one for us, but we know they just don't understand. Surely there are many of you here today who carry great burdens of worry or anxiety or fear. Just the words job or spouse or child or cancer or finances or death bring up such an overwhelming baggage of emotions. (And for some of you, you are already gone and ...

4063. Grace in the Midst of Unanswered Prayer

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

No one ever really prepares you for your first theological bull session. Usually it arrives without fanfare or advance warning. Usually it happens long before you enter the relative clear-headedness of your adult years, or before you take that philosophy course in college. Usually it happens when you're a junior high school student, up late with friends at a sleepover, or camping out in somebody's backyard. There's just something about a smoky fire and charred food and stars out overhead that turns twelve- ...

4064. Singing The Lord's Song In A Strange Land (i)

Psalm 137:1-9

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A few years ago when George Bush was serving as our Vice-President, he represented our country by attending the funeral service of Leonid Brezhnev. You remember, of course, that Brezhnev was the leader of the Soviet People from 1964 to 1982. Then President Bush was talking about the necessity of faith for leadership in our country. He said very emphatically, "I don't believe a person could be President of the United States without faith in God." Then he added that he felt this faith was universal -- that ...

4065. A Love For All Seasons (i)

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

"You know what I don't understand?" asked Lucy of Charlie Brown in my favorite comic strip -- "PEANUTS" by Charles Schultz. "I don't understand love!" Charlie Brown replies, "Who does!" Lucy says, "Explain love to me, Charlie Brown", Charlie says. "You can't explain love. I can recommend a book or a poem or a painting, but I can't explain love." Lucy comes back, "Well, try, Charlie Brown, try." As is always the case, Charlie can't say no to Lucy. He can't resist doing what Lucy tells him to do, so he says ...

4066. The Rest Of The Story

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

As Adam and his sons, Cain and Abel, were walking one day, they passed the beautiful Garden of Eden. Just to pass by was an experience. Adam knew what was inside those beautiful gates -- the lush fruit, the gorgeous flowers -- it was a place of endless delight. An angel with a flaming sword was guarding the gate. Adam said, "Boys, take a good look. That's where we lived before your mother ate us out of house and home." In the words of Paul Harvey, "that's the rest of the story." The first chapter of ...

4067. The Discipleship Question: Do You Wish To Go Away?

John 6:60-71

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

John C. Purdy, a staff member of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., has written a challenging book entitled Returning God's Call: The Challenge of Christian Living. In it, Purdy suggests that we need a new metaphor for the Christian life. He points out the inadequacy of the old metaphors such as "a soldier in God's army," "a scholar in the school of Christ," "a traveler a long the Christian way," "a citizen of the commonwealth; "and a member of Christ's body." Each of these metaphors has served us well in the ...

4068. Learning to Give Thanks

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

Did you know that not everyone has been brought up to smile? When McDonald’s restaurants invaded Russia, the bosses--all of whom were American--insisted that the Russian young people working behind the counter give customers the standard Mickey D smile. Russian customers were outraged--and insulted--because in Russia smiling at strangers means you’re making fun of them. How did Mickey D Russia solve the problem? They hired personnel which they called "Smile Explainers" to shout into bullhorns at customers ...

4069. Simeon's Song

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Mark Trotter

We heard Simeon sing his song this morning not only in the gospel lesson, but in the anthem, in the beautiful and dramatic piece from Randall Thompson's, The Nativity According to St. Luke, interpreted wonderfully this morning by Ronald Banks. It is appropriately heard as a song, because Luke divides the story of the birth of Jesus into several acts, each act with dialogue, and a song, the way an opera has arias. One scene even has angels singing. We are familiar with most of these scenes. The Annunciation ...

4070. Sheep that Count

1 Peter 2:19-25

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

Once upon a time there was a lamb named Edgar. Edgar lived with his family and friends in a large flock that roamed the countryside under the leadership of a kind and protective shepherd. Edgar followed his mother, along with the others, from one grazing spot to another, and seemed perfectly content with his life. He would play games with the other lambs, chase butterflies in the meadows, and nuzzle up close to his mother for afternoon naps in the sun. Like all the other sheep in his flock, he went ...

4071. Blind Ambition

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon

Mark Trotter

There's a story about a man whose great ambition was to become a general in the army. He imagined all the attention he would get, everybody saluting him, somebody to drive him around, all the perquisites of that high rank. One day he reached his goal. He was promoted to Brigadier General. The next day he moved into his new office, sat behind his new, big desk. He could just feel the power emanating from that office. His aide walked in, said, "There's a man here to see you." The general said, "Send him ...

4072. Fathers in Their Generation

Psalm 103:13

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Father's Day sermon This is the third Sunday in June. I am usually not here on this Sunday, because it is during this week that the sessions of the Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in this region are held. They are continuing today at the University of Redlands. But I have been away for several weeks on vacation prior to this week, so I thought it would be prudent for me to show up here. Besides that, as you have heard, this is Choir Recognition Sunday, and I wanted to be here also for that ...

4073. I Thought You'd Never Ask

John 1:35-46

Sermon

Mark Trotter

We all know about famous last words. They are collected because they are supposed to be important. We expect something deep and profound from someone as their last words, the distillation of the wisdom of a lifetime. We also know about the last words of Jesus. Every gospel writer records his own version of the last words of Jesus. They are all different, his words from the cross. And every Good Friday, some place around the world, some church is commemorating the cross by meditating on the seven last words ...

4074. The Wedding Guest

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Mark Trotter

I imagine those of you who have been hosts at a wedding reception, or anticipate doing that sometime in the future, were interested in the Gospel lesson for this morning, where Jesus attends a wedding and turns the water into wine, not only producing the finest of vintages, but also covering for the host’s bad planning. The host was able to tell his guests, "Well, I was just reserving the best for the last." Someone suggested the title of this sermon ought to be, "No Wine before Its Time," which is clever ...

4075. Two Women

Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Our text for this morning is about two women who come together to tell their stories. They are cousins, distant cousins. Elizabeth, the city cousin, Luke says, lives in the hills of Judea. Her husband, Zechariah, is the priest in the Temple. It must have been a big city to have a temple. Perhaps it was Jerusalem, and if so, then Zechariah would have been one of the priests assigned to the Temple in Jerusalem. Which would mean he was a man of some importance. It says they lived in the hills of Judea. That ...

Showing results